Rachael's Bio

Rachael originally hails from the Chicago suburbs, but spent much of her youth in small town Ohio.  After returning to Chicago to study theater at Northwestern, she currently lives in Lakeview and spends her 9-to-5 hours at Starcom Entertainment in the Loop.  When not living the corporate life, you'll find her anywhere from River North art galleries and Cubs games during the day, to the Congress, MCA, storefront theaters, Chicago Shakespeare and Second City Theaters at night.  Whether you're an arts junkie or just looking for something new to do, check out her page for a "Cultural 101" of all that Chicago is offering each week, including festivals, exhibits, comedy, music, theater, film, and everything in between.

Rachael's Questionnaire

Q: Favorite local Chicago artist or performer?

A: As a whole, it's not commercial like Broadway in New York or the film business in LA. Chicago is full of people who love art for art's sake and aren't solely focused on "making it big." And, while it's extremely accessible (you really can't beat the ticket prices), companies like Second City, the Joffrey, Chicago Shakespeare, the CSO and the Art Institute are considered the best of the best. 

Q: Most interesting event of 2010 so far?

A: Definitely The Rite of Spring at the Joffrey. Even though the ballet is from 1913, it is still one of the most avant-garde and arresting performance pieces I've ever seen. It grabs you from the very first drumbeat and takes you on this crazy ride that leaves you pretty much speechless by the end.

Q: Weirdest/Wildest thing you’ve ever seen on stage or in a gallery/museum?

A: A performance piece at the MCA called "Giulio Cesare," (very loosely) based on Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. It opened with an actor projecting live images of his larynx on a screen behind him while he spoke, and went on to include a horse skeleton, a naked old man, and a stuffed cat.

Q: Best performance or exhibition you've ever seen?

A: Technically, I should say the Lyric Opera's production of Sweeney Todd, but I'm a theater nerd at heart so I'm going to have to say the most recent national tour of RENT that starred Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal, the actors who originally played Roger and Mark. I grew up listening to the soundtrack, so to watch the actual actors I've been listening to for all these years was pretty awesome. And the show itself is just exhilarating (despite claims that it's cheesy and overrated, which is true at times) and it leaves me happy for weeks. I know. Don't judge.

Q: Favorite summer arts festival?

A: Not necessarily a festival, but Chicago's gallery districts have awesome weekly/monthly open house events that are perfect in summer. Pilsen's Second Fridays is like one big party, River North Starbucks Saturday tours are a great way to start the weekend, and the First Thursday open houses offer a free open-air (and BYOB) trolley between the River North and West Loop galleries.